Island



(No Model.)

H. C. WEEDEN.

PLUSHING DEVICE.

No. 416,131. Patented Nov. 26, 1889.-

UNITED STATES nTnNT muon.

HENRY C. IVEEDEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE YVEEDENSANITARY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF RHODE ISLAND.

FLUSHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,131, dated November26, 1889. i

Serial No. 300,528. (No model.)

To all whom. t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. WEEDEN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flushing Devicesfor Urinals and Similar Structures, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention relates to that class of devices for liushing thebowls of urinals and kindred structures in which a iiushing-tank isemployed having an electrically controlled dischargewalve, and in whichthe actuation of the discharging apparatus is effected by elec t icity.Its object is t0 so construct and arrange such an apparatus incombination with the bowl to be flushed that the operation of liushingshall be produced automatically whenever the bowl is used and by reasonof its use.

In the accompanying drawings I have represented a device for thispurpose in the form now best known to me.

Figure l represents in elevation and partial 'section a front View ofthe apparatus, and Fig. 2 a detail view of a portion thereof. Figs. 3and 4. show modifications of a portion of the apparatus, as will behereinafter more fully explained.

In the drawings, A represents a flushingtank of well known construction,the discharge of which for the purpose of lushingis effected by means ofa lever B, carrying the armature C of an electro-magnet D, which leveris connected to and operates the discharge-valve E of the tank.

F is the flushingpipe, which leads to and introduces the iiushing-waterinto the article to be flushed, which I have represented at G in theform of a urinal-bowl of ordinary construction. Y

The electro-magnet is connected in the ordinary manner with an electricbattery II or other suitable source of electricity, and the wires whichform the path of the current are represented atI I. At some convenientpoint I place the terminals of these wires I I, and in the drawings Ihave represented them as located in the discharge-pipe close to its junction with the urinal. As represented in the drawings, the device isintended to operate on the openscircuit principle-t-hat is to say, the

circuit is normally open, and is to be closed only when the 'liushingoperation is to'take place.

I so construct, form, and locate the terminals J J of the wires I I thatthey shall be normally separated when the apparatus is at rest or not inoperation, but so that theintroduction of iiuid into the urinal byreason of 6o its use will cause one of the terminals before mention d tobe brought into contact with the other. IVhen this is done, the circuitis completed, the flushi-ng-valveis lifted, andthe operation of liushingis thereby automatically produced. Forconvenientlycarryingoutthis methodof operation I make one of the terminals J so that it shall be movableand shall be moved by the introduction of fluidinto the Y urinal whenused. I also so arrange the other 7o terminal J relative to this movableterminal that when the latter is so moved by the fluid the two shall bebrought in contact, as before described. This may be conveniently doneby forming the terminal J of a thin flap (see Fig. 2) hinged at itsupper end and hanging normally by gravity in a position clear of thesecond terminal J', but in close proximity to it, and also across thepath of the iiuid coming from the urinal, so as to be moved thereby 8ointo electrical connection with the terminal J when the urina-l is used.It will be seen, however, that the precise construction and location ofthis movable terminal, so that it may be moved automatically by theiiuid contents 8 5 of the urinal, may be Widely varied without departingfrom the spirit of my invention. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, anenlargement of the discharge-pipe may be provided where it joins theurinal, as represented at L, 9o within which the two terminals J J maybe located. In this modification the movement of the terminal J to closethe circuit andstart the flush is obtained by attaching` it to atiltingspoon-shaped lever M, the bowl of the spoon being located within thepath of the iiuid as it comes from the urinal.

At Fig. 4L is represented a second modifica* tion, wherein the bringingof the terminals together is effected by the use of a float carryrco ingthe movable terminal J, which iioat is disposed in a similar enlargementL of the discharge-pipe. The operation of this device is that t-heintroduction of fluid from the urinal,

raising,` the Water-level, carries the float, and consequently theterminal J, upward and into contact with the other terminal J As it isdesirable for many reasons to do so, I have represented theilushing-tankas p rovided with a siphon. Any other form of tank or watersupply may,however,be substituted in which the production of a flush can beobtained by electric action. I have, furthermore, described and shownVVthe device as working upon the opencircuit principle; but it isobvious that the. closed-circuit principlemay be used instead, the twoterminals being in that case so arranged that they normally stand incontact and that the action of the fluid contents of the urinal willseparate them and break the contact. The location of thecircuit-controlling device at the point shown in the drawings isdesirable, because it'is thereby hidden from sight and protected fromaccident.

It is obvious that the wires I I and terminals J J should be suitablyinsulated wherever they pass in contact with electrically-conductivesubstances-as, for example, the metal of which the various pipes in theapparatus are ordinarily made.

Electrically-operated flushing-tanks have long been known and used whichwere operated by a push-button in the ordinary manner. Furthermore, I amaware that fluid has heretofore been used to form apart of an elec-vtricalconductor, and thus to shut off a watersupply. I make no claimherein to an electric tank or to any device whereby fluid is used toshut off water.

I make no claim herein to any method of operation, the same being setforth in an application numbered 303,758 filed by me March I8, 1880.

I claim- In combination, a flushing-tank, a bowl to be flushedtherefrom, a flushing-pipe extendin g from the tank to the bowl, a valvecontrolling1 the outflow of water from the tank through theflushing-pipe, an electro-magnet, an armature therefor adapted to bemoved when the magnet is energized, a connection between the armatureand the valve, whereby said motion of the armature is adapted to raiseVthe Valve, an electric circuit including the said electro-magnet, and apair of terminals for said circuit located within the path of fluidintroduced into the bowl from Without, one of said terminals beingmovable and adapted to be moved into contact with the other by theVimpact of the said fluid upon the said movable terminal, allsubstantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th day ofFebruary, A. D. 1889.

HENRY C. IVE-EDEN. lVitnesses:

JOHN H. TAYLOR, ELLEN B. ToMLINsoN.

